Drew Brees

Quarterback • Saints

2018 Projections

Passing

Rushing

Cmp

Att

Yds

TD

Int

Yds

TD

394

564

4536

32

7

13

2

Boom

Brees threw for 4,334 yards last season -- good for fourth in the league, behind only Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford and Philip Rivers. He led all QBs by completing 72 percent of his passes, and his 103.8 passer rating trailed only Alex Smith (104.7). He scored two touchdowns rushing in 2017 -- both on QB sneaks. He has had at least one rushing TD in every season since 2011. Brees was sacked just 20 times last season; 28 quarterbacks were sacked more times than him, and five were sacked more than twice as often. Brees threw only eight picks last season and lost zero fumbles. The Saints' offense in 2017 was second in total yards and fourth in points. Entering his 18th season, Brees has had the type of career destined to make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He is third on the list of the NFLís all-time passing leaders. He trails Brett Favre by 1,393 yards, and is 1,495 yards behind Peyton Manning for the lead. If he avoids injury and progresses at his 2017 rate of 270 passing yards per game, he will overtake Manning in Week Seven at Baltimore. That wonít get you any fantasy points, but it should be pretty cool nonetheless. Brees has thrown for 488 touchdowns in his career, and he is tied with Tom Brady for third on that all-time list. Brees trails Manning by 51 TDs, so he is highly unlikely to get there this year. And, of course, Brady is still active (and only 18 months older than Brees).

Bust

Brees threw just 23 touchdowns last season. It was his lowest total since 2003, when he played a partial season with the Chargers. He hasnít thrown for 40 touchdowns in a season since 2012, when he had 43. Brees will turn 40 years old in January 2019

Bottom Line

As Breesí career winds down, he is becoming more efficient but less explosive. There were times last year when it looked as if he had lost a few mph off his fastball. The dramatic drop in touchdowns last season (37 in 2016 to 23 last year) is a bit of a concern, as is the drop from 5,208 yards passing in 2016 to the 4,334 in 2017. Of course, the Saints fared better as a team in 2017, and were a whisker from making it to the NFC championship game. Brees may never again produce the pinball-like stats from a few seasons ago, but he remains a top-five fantasy QB.